Pro Golfers’ Bags Tracked by GPS

PROFESSIONAL GOLF CADDY BRING GPS TRACKING ON TOUR

Have you ever thought about how chaotic it must be for golfers on the PGA Tour to go from city to city, week to week, playing in tournaments day in and day out? Now imagine lugging the golf clubs, luggage, and everything else required in living on the road six to seven months a year. Not an easy task! Aggravating the situation were additional airport security measures after 9/11 and Hulka’s Overland Player’s Express (H.O.P.E.) is born.

In strolls Steve Hulka to the rescue. Steve, a 30-year professional golf caddie now working for British professional golfer Brian Davis, transports players’ clubs and just about anything else they need transported for the tour. PGA tour players purchase their own bins and fill them with anything that they want driven, from city to city, while on tour. It’s certainly not just clubs that H.O.P.E. transports but things like baby strollers, cribs, luggage, and once even a BMW motorcycle for one PGA player. In a busy week, Steve and his wife, Mary, are transporting items for 40-50 players. It’s now been nine years since Steve started H.O.P.E. and he’s on his third trailer … each one larger than before. Steve’s very proud of his newest addition to the business – a GPS Tracking unit from Track What Matters.

Photo by Scott Halleran

“After driving an average 12 or more hours in transit in a single day, it wasn’t a whole lot of fun to get a 5:00 am call from a player wanting to inquire as to where we were in route with their golf clubs or personal belongings,” said Hulka. The Track What Matters GPS tracking device enables players to log-in directly from their laptop, mobile phone, or tablet and find out in real-time where our trailer is located. There’s no special software, and the players think it’s nifty that H.O.P.E. now has GPS to track their stuff.”

Hulka also noted that many of the players are very superstitious about their things and really don’t like them out of their sight. The GPS tracking device provides security and peace of mind so that each player can track his valuables any time he wants 24/7.

If you’re ever out at a tournament, it won’t be hard to spot the large trailer of Hulka’s Overland Player’s Express. You’ll likely find a cheerful Steve Hulka (assuming his player Brian Davis isn’t on the coarse playing) or his wife Mary loading the trailer.

If you want an extra surprise, take a look inside the trailer and you’ll see encouraging handwritten notes on the walls of the trailer from many of the PGA Tour players. For Steve and Mary, it has become more than a business–it’s a ministry and these little messages are a big deal.

When Steve was asked what player had the greatest influence on his life, his answer was immediate – Tom Watson. “Tom epitomizes the kind of player that I always wanted to be. I’ve always admired the way he plays and his intense focus on the game. In 1989, after a break, Tom was instrumental in me getting back on tour” says Hulka.

No doubt that Mr. Steve Hulka is living a dream as he drives all across this nation as the PGA Tour’s chief golf club, crib, stroller, and luggage transporter.